PEORIA — You know you’ve come to a gun shop when you reach the door at Tallyn’s Tactical Solutions, 1609 W. Detweiller Dr. The little hint is that the door handles appear to be AR-15s. Welcome to Scott Tallyn’s world.

“The gun industry has been run the same way for too many years,” said Tallyn, who decided to take a shot at creating his own version in Pioneer Park last November.

With the help of Michael Demanes of Demanes Interiors, Tallyn’s showroom looks more like a firearms gallery than the traditional gun store where weapons are viewed in glass cases.

“I wanted them out in the open. I want to stress the comfort, fit and feel for a customer,” said Tallyn of the weapons on display although customers need a Firearm Owner ID card to touch the guns.

The owner said he wants to make a trip to his store a pleasurable experience. “I’m looking for a long-term relationship with a customer. I want them to come back. We stress customer service. If you come into this store, you’re greeted. We want to know what you want,” he said.

“We try to find out a customer’s skill set along with their hand strength and try to tailor a weapon to the individual,” said Tallyn, a Peorian who spent nine years in the U.S. Army before setting up his photography business 25 years ago.

Since the business serving professional photographers has been on the wane in recent years, Tallyn decided to turn to one of his hobbies — collecting and designing guns — and make it a business.

“I met with all the staff and talked about opening a different venture. I thought, ‘Let’s embrace this,’” he said.

Embrace it he has — with both barrels. Tallyn estimates that in the few months the store has been open, he’s sold 150 guns.

These aren’t just your basic firearms, either. Tallyn has arranged his gun showroom with a variety of weapons — rifles and pistols on one wall — while the other wall features four versions of the same rifle, each specially displayed with various modifications.

Page 2 of 2 - The basic cost might be $800 for the base model on the bottom while the one on the top with its tactical bolt release, zoom scope and night vision monocular along with whatever else in the way of high-tech bells and whistles Tallyn can find is closer to $2,000.

Once avid gun customers get a look at all the extras available, they tend to select a weapon with modifications, he said.

Tallyn said he tends to cater more to collectors and hobbyists rather than hunters. “We get a lot of law enforcement folks who come in here and just can’t believe it,” he said.

Women have also been good customers, said Tallyn. “The female market is off the charts. I think the passage of concealed carry in Illinois has a lot to do with it,” he said.

Along with helping a customer feel comfortable at his store, Tallyn said the other emphasis is on safety. “We take the time to show people how to handle a gun. We’ll correct them on the spot if it’s not done right. We also believe in keeping weapons safe and secure. There’s no live ammo in this room — ever,” said Tallyn of his gun showroom.

The ammo is kept in another room and Tallyn sells a lot of it. “We’re probably selling 18,000 rounds a week. We’ve got all the hard-to-find varieties,” he said.

Tallyn also sells non-lethal weapons such as tasers. In an adjoining room, body armor is displayed on a silver mannequin. “The cost is $199. How much is your life worth?” he said.

He sells gun boxes that don’t look like gun boxes as well as gun locks that allow for quick access. “To protect your home, you need to get to your weapon in 20 seconds or it’s not worth it,” said Tallyn.

Getting the new business up and running means working 12 to 13-hour days, said Tallyn, who still maintains his photography business next door. “I have two offices. I can multitask from either one,” he said.

But Tallyn warns that he’s not done designing his alternative gun shop. “We’re only halfway done with the build-out,” he said.

Steve Tarter is Journal Star business editor. Tarter’s phone number is 686-3260, and his email address is starter@pjstar.com. Follow his blog, Minding Business, on pjstar.com and follow him on Twitter @SteveTarter